Lessons in Fatherhood
by Kiki102
Summary: A day out with Benji to Luna Park? Easy. A day out to Luna Park with Benji and Adam? Not so much. Tick learns six lessons in being a dad. How hard can it be to control Adam on a sugar high in the middle of a theme park?


**Hey, my first Priscilla fic after seeing the show on 14/2/10 and watching the movie for the first time last night. It was good but I prefer the show. What I want to know is how those guys were able to walk and run so well in heels. Oh, and why they get such great looking legs and so many women, like me, and stuck with legs that never look anywhere near that good. Anyway, this is written with Tick and Adam as I saw them in London, played by Ben Richards and Oliver Thornton. Don Gallagher was Bernadette and Ray Meagher was Bob. They were fantastic, but I was disappointed to see today that Ben Richards is leaving. I would recommend the show to anyone! The rides I mention is this are all real and hopefully accurate, my memory isn't great, but I can say Luna Park is amazing. Wow, this is a really long authors note... Sorry. Anyway, enjoy and review please!**

**Christina x**

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"Dad, can we go to Luna Park?" Benji asked.  
"Sure kiddo," Tick replied. "I'll take you tomorrow." Benji ran over and hugged him.  
"Thanks dad."

Tick smiled. He still got a funny mushy feeling inside when Benji called him dad. And tomorrow they'd do the normal father-son thing of going to a theme park together.

The next morning though, Tick wasn't feeling quite so cheerful about the day ahead. He was pretty sure that on normal father-son days, there wasn't usually a hyperactive drag queen tagging along. Because Adam being Adam had invited himself along, and Benji had been only too happy to have him along. As they walked towards the ferry, Adam, wearing tight pink board shorts, white vest and lime green shirt with flipflops, and Benji skipped along hand in hand. Tick rolled his eyes, getting the feeling that he was well and truly cast in the role of 'dad' today, and Adam was in the role of 'child'. Bernadette would say that he was a natural for it. She wouldn't be far wrong. What Tick wanted to know was how the hell he managed to skip in flipflops without breaking his bloody neck. But then, it _was_ Adam.

Benji stared up in awe at the gate of Luna Park, now clinging onto his dad's hand.  
"Come on," Adam wined impatiently, getting into the role of child.  
"What d'you think?" Tick asked quietly, out of Adam's hearing range as he walked on ahead, muttering something about "Mitzi" and "always being slow when it counts".  
"So cool," Benji whispered.  
"Finally," Adam muttered as they reached the ticket booth. Tick rolled his eyes, told him to stop sulking, before buying two adult and one child all day pass. Although he was sorely tempted to ask for two child passes. After all, if Adam was going to act like a child...  
"Right, where to?" Tick asked.  
"Dodgems!" Benji replied.

_Typical_, Tick thought as Adam raced for the pink glittery dodgem, although he would probably argue that it was salmon surprise or something. Benji dragged him over to the blue dodgem. Unsurprisingly, he wanted Tick to try and hit Adam as many times as possible. Tick tried to block out the other image which came into his head when he told him to hit Adam. _Not_ a thought he wanted when with his six year old son. Also unsurprisingly, Adam was bashing into every car which was occupied by a hot young guy, before flashing them a smile and moving onto the next one. As soon as they left the dodgems, Adam dragged them over to get candyfloss, declaring it was an essential part of the theme park experience. And of course, he expected Tick to pay. While they ate the pink clump of fluff on a stick that Tick thought clearly was not worth that much money, they sat on the ferris wheel, as he tried to forget how many E numbers and chemicals were in said pink fluff and how much Marion would yell at him for giving it to Benji. But he couldn't help but smile at the sight of Benji staring awestruck back towards the city. He had to admit, it was a pretty damn good view. Although Adam personally was quite liking the one in front of him.

Tick eyed the rollercoaster suspiciously. Named the Wild Mouse, he really wasn't sure it was safe for six year olds. But Benji was looking up at him pleadingly with big round eyes. Adam was also using the puppydog eyes, and had that look which meant he was considering using blackmail to get what he wanted. Tick relented. _Lesson number one about being a dad, the kids always manage to wind you round their little fingers_.

Of course, then Benji decided that he wanted Adam to take him on the Wild Mouse too. And since only two people could ride in a car, that would mean turning responsibility for his son over to Adam. Who was looking way too innocent and totally untrustworthy. _Lesson number two about being a dad, the youngest always gets what he wants_.

Despite Tick's worries, Benji came bounding towards him again a few minutes later, followed by a smug looking Adam. Benji insisted on getting both the photo with his dad and with Adam, and then Adam decided that he'd better have a copy of the one with Benji too. Well, since Tick was buying two, he could easily buy three right? _Lesson number three about being a dad, you have to pay for everything_.

"No way," Tick declared firmly.  
"Go on dad," Benji said.  
"Come on Mitz, you're not scared are you?" Adam taunted.  
"I'm not suicidal if that's what you mean," Tick retorted. There was no way he was getting on that...that..._thing_ which stopped up side down for like five minutes, leaving you hanging there. Okay, so maybe ot was only two but it looked longer. And he was pretty sure it would feel longer too.  
"Go on dad, it looks fun," Benji said encouragingly.  
"I'm not leaving Benji on his own," Tick said eventually.  
"I'll go on those rides and I can watch from there," Benji replied. "You're too big to go on them anyway."  
"Your son has a point Mitzi," Adam pointed out. Tick groaned silently. There was no way he was getting out of this.

"I hate you Felicia!" he yelled minutes later when they were hanging upside down, staring at the harbour, which when you were in the air and upside down, was not the most comforting view.  
"But it's fun," Adam laughed. Tick glanced down just long enough to see Benji waving, but he didn't have enough courage to remove one hand from its vice like grip to wave back. He gulped and shut his eyes again, vowing never to let Adam talk him into anything again.

"I'm amazing at these things," Adam announced, dragging them into the sideshow alley. "What do you want Benj?"

"A tiger!" Benji replied. "And a lion!"  
"Righty-oh!" Adam declared. Tick stared at the size of the soft toys Adam was currently attempting to win.  
"Marion's going to kill me," he muttered, not wanting to think about what his wife would do to him when she heard about this day, or about how much he would be in need of a pay rise. Adam successfully won the tiger, took a bow then began working on the lion. To Benji's disappointment, and Tick's relief, he failed in winning the tiger. _Lesson number four about being a dad, no matter what you do or say, the kids will always want the biggest and most expensive soft toy. And you will cheer when they get it and comfort them when they don't. Even though you don't really feel that way_.

Adam declared he needed food in order to continue, so they headed to the Lighthouse Cafe. While Tick and Benji ordered burgers, Adam had to have the biggest hot dog, totally smothered in ketchup, mustard and onions, with a large side of fries. And a milkshake. Followed by a huge ice-cream sundae covered in strawberry sauce, sprinkles, with a flake and two wafers on top. Tick glanced at Benji and warned, "Don't even think about it kiddo." _Lesson number five about being a dad, the kids will always want to eat junk food. And odds are you'll let them_.

"So," Adam said, between slurping the dregs of his second Coke. "What next?"  
"Benji?" Tick asked.  
"Tango train," he replied. Tick and Adam glanced at each other. Benji was too small to get on the Tango Train, but neither of them wanted to deny him.  
"When we get there," Tick began.  
"Walk on your tippy toes," Adam finished.

"I can't believe we got away with that," Tick whispered to Adam.  
"Doesn't it make you feel good to break the rules for once?" Adam whispered back, grinning gleefully. Although there was one downside to the plan, Tick now found himself sandwiched between Benji and Adam, not that he had a problem with being next to his son. It was just hard to concentrate when you were squished up next to Adam and he was grinning at you that way and laughing like a child and you were hurtling round in a circle really quickly and having a massive adrenaline rush and really regretting eating lunch.

"Ice cream time!" Adam sing-songed, as he skipped off the Tango Train.  
"Don't you think you should lay off the sugar a bit?" Tick replied.  
Relax Mitz, it won't kill you," Adam called over his shoulder.  
"Do you want ice-cream?" Tick asked Benji. His son shook his head.  
"Adam's going to make himself puke isn't he?"  
"Yeah," Tick sighed.

"That was fun!" Adam grinned, leaning casually against the railings.  
"That was not fun," Tick said, glowering. Clambering through a building filled with moving floors and having to rescue a bunch of kids who couldn't get out of the giant hamster wheel was anything but fun in his opinion. But Adam simply laughed it off. Tick glanced at Benji. He was beginning to look tired, but stubbornly refused to admit it. Keeping up with Adam normally was hard enough. Keeping up with Adam on a sugar high was even harder.  
"You okay kiddo?" he asked. Benji nodded. "Hey Adam, how about we call it a day?" Tick called.  
"Not yet Mitzi," Adam pouted. "I want to try the Spider and the Wave Swinger and the Tumble Bug. And the carousel! I love those things!" Tick rolled his eyes.  
"Those four then we absolutely have to go," he replied. "Deal?"  
"Deal," Adam agreed. "God Mitz, you drive a hard bargin."

"You sure you don't want to quit?" Tick asked as they waited for the carousel to start moving. Adam shook his head stubbornly, looking more than a little green. He'd been a bit wobbly after the Spider, but Tick had assumed he was just dizzy even though he hadn't shown the slightest sign of being dizzy all day. When they came off the Wave Swinger, Adam had gone almost silent, which was a sure sign something was up. Tick glanced over Benji's head again at him. He was slumped against the gold painted pole. "We could always just go after this," Tick suggested.  
"No," Adam muttered, shaking his head slowly. "Tumble bug." As they started to spin, Tick sighed. Adam was so stubborn. Why couldn't he just admit defeat? Because he was Adam.

"Oh shit." Adam had spoken quietly, but Tick still heard him. Waiting in the queue for the Tumble Bug it seemed like Adam was finally having second thoughts.  
"It's not too late..." he began, as the last group stumbled off the ride.  
"I'm fine," Adam replied unconvincingly.  
"On your head be it," Tick mumbled under his breath as they walked through the gate.  
"Oh shit!" Adam repeated, yelling this time, his eyes clenched shut and clinging tightly as they began to spin.  
"You okay?" Tick yelled.  
"Yes," Adam lied.

As soon as the ride stopped, Adam bolted for the exit. Tick and Benji glanced at each other before following. They found him leaning over a trash can, throwing up.  
"Yuck," Benji commented.  
"This is why you don't eat a lot of sugar," Tick said, taking the opportunity to be a good father and using it to stop Benji from eating too many sweets and Marion from blaming him by proxy. Adam stood up, looking rotten. Tick passed him his bottle of water to rinse out his mouth. "Come on Felicia," he sighed. "Time to go home." _Lesson number six about being a dad, at least one of the kids will always eat too much junk food and be sick. And they'll do the same next time too. _

Adam groaned, closing his eyes. Deciding to save telling him off for later, Tick put his arm round his shoulders, taking Benji's hand with his other hand. Benji glanced up at Adam, leaning his head on his dad's shoulder, before turning his attention to his tiger Adam had won for him. Adam mumbled something incoherent.  
"What?" Tick asked.  
"It was the bloody candyfloss," he repeated. Tick bit his lip, trying not to smile. He highly doubted that the candyfloss from this morning had anything to do with Adam throwing up. He was pretty sure that the hot dog with mustard and onions, milkshake, fries, two cokes, the two ice creams covered in sauce and sprinkles, popcorn, and various sweets and sugary drinks throughout the day, combined with the rides, probably had something to do with it. But he was hardly going to say that to Felicia.  
"Of course it was," he said sympathetically, planting a kiss on Adam's forehead.

Adam kept his head on Tick's shoulder for the whole of the ferry ride, his eyes half closed, and staying silent for once. It was a bit disconcerting. Benji was standing by the rail, looking down at the water speeding past, having left his tiger sitting next to Tick.  
"Careful Benj," Tick called.  
"I will be," he replied.  
"Don't talk so loud," Adam groaned. Tick smiled. If this was what being a dad was going to be like, well, he could get used to it.


End file.
